As you have probably already heard, PlayStation has gone online with their own eSports league. Information came up back in early October when a French website went live with information on prizes and a list of games detailing upcoming tournaments. Although with the prizes being listed in Euros, it looks to be a Europe-centered league.
Although the prize money is not listed in our currency, it looks like you are still able to sign up for the tournaments since they are online. (I would test it out for you, but I would rather not accidentally sign up for a tournament where I am bound to get my ass kicked within the first five minutes.)
The game list isn't too extensive so far and contains fighting, racing, and football (like real football people, not the American version) titles, with Battlefront: Hardline to add some variation.
Would you sign up for this League? Would you compete for the money or just for fun?
With mobile games and gaming laptops, it's getting hard for handheld devices to keep footing in the market today. While the Nintendo DS has been able to keep up a relatively loyal following since the device's premier, Sony's PlayStation Portable (better known as the PSP) has had a more rocky past.
Released in 2012 (North America) the Vita was meant to be the savior of the PSP franchise. Although Sony brought new elements to the table (such as a rear touch pad, and having cross-compatible games with the PS3, and later PS4), what scared a lot of gamers away was the price tag. Originally priced at over $250, my consumers didn't think the new design was worth it.
Original PSVita in Black
After a few price drops the little device still didn't attract a very large audience, but many people who decided to take a chance on it don't regret it.
One of the large appeals to the PSVita isn't its AAA titles (most of which are rated very low by critics), but rather the indie games that are typically exclusive to the Vita. Sony made it easy for developers to produce games for the Vita to attract more than just the big names and in order to expand their library.
People have been speculating for a while as to how much longer this little device will last, owners (like me) were hoping that Sony wouldn't throw in the towel just quite yet, and give another push towards reconciliation with the gaming community. Sony acknowledges that the Vita isn't as succesful as they had hoped it would become, even after releasing a new version - the PS Vita Slim - to re-spark interest in the market.
But good news! Instead of halting production on the little device that tried so hard and got so far, they are switching focus to providing indie titles and other lesser-known developments. AAA titles not only cost to get remastered for another system, but they tend to not have that high of sales because of the lesser quality compared to their console and PC counterparts.
Do you own a Vita? What games would you recommend?
Ever been curious about the stereotype of a "common gamer"? Most of you - like me - would think of a scrawny white (most likely American) male within the age range of anywhere from 16 to 30, with the older they are, the less scrawny you become and the more likely you are to be overweight. Part of the problem with this stigma isn't just that fact that it doesn't accurately represent the population of gamers in America, but it also sets an invisible boundary used to keep people that don't fit this mold out of the culture.
But be uninformed no longer! A study done by the Pew Research Center reveals a more accurate distribution of the population of the gaming community, specifically what kinds of people own consoles and handheld gaming devices. (click here for the full article)
What we should think of as the "common gamer" is actually quite different. In fact, the distribution of gender, age, race, and other factors contain a lot less variance than you would think.
Results of the Research Survey (numbers represent %)
So if you took all of the largest statistics from each category, the stereotype for a console owner that we should think of is actually: a Hispanic woman between the ages of 18-29, living in an urban or suburban community who finished some college and has a household income of over $75K.
This study not only shows how inaccurate our current views of the gaming community are, but also that there shouldn't even be a stereotype anymore. Our community has become so diverse that there are actually a very insignificant amount of people who fit what used to be the common mold anymore. Next time you see someone different buying a console, or attending a con, you should be thinking 'damn, its awesome that I belong to such a big community,' because let's be honest, if all of us banded together, we could take over the world.
Where do you fall in these statistics? According to this chart, how 'common' of a gamer are you?
Do you want to be more than just a casual gamer? Or do you want to actually get paid for all those hours you log on your PC or console? Are you dreaming of being one of the people who bring life to everyone's favorite characters? Well theres a website that just launched its beta last week whose goal is to connect people like you and me - people who love video games - to the professional world and other people just like us.
Although LinkedIn is an awesome resource for job-seekers and employers alike, they are more focused on employing people with "normal" (or as I like to call them, 'adult') jobs. Not saying that jobs in the gaming industry aren't real jobs, because they are, but many people don't take them seriously. Anyone in the same boat as me must be just as tired of having people tell them that "you should be looking into real jobs."
Rezli is different in the fact that they are focused on matching employers and candidates within the gaming industry. From careers in design and engineering, to game testers and professional gamers, the site lets you not only put up the usual information such as experience, education, and preferred careers, but they also have a place to upload your professional (or not so professional for people starting out) portfolio.
Even for people who aren't quite ready to start their career - like me - its a great resource for building a network with potential mentors and employers, as well as fellow professionals and enthusiasts.
Note: they are currently still in beta, so there are bound to be bugs and limitations, but I highly recommend at least starting a profile if you are the least bit interested in potentially entering this field.
Do you know of any other sites or groups focused on getting gamers employed? Or are you currently testing out the beta as well? What do you think of the site so far?
As you may or may not have noticed, I have been mentioning the game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem quite frequently. This is because I am currently playing through it with friends, and I finally finished it! (No, it's not a very long game, but I am a college student with homework and such.) I won't talk abut the exact story line much, because it could spoil the ending for anyone that wants to play - which I highly recommend by the way. Although if you want to see a walkthrough of the ending you can watch it here (hella spoilers though).
A look at all the playable characters over the course of the game.
Plot
The main plotline is centered around Alex Roivas (the chick in the center wearing modern clothes in the picture above) and her family. Your job is to save the human race from becoming engulfed in eternal darkness (as the title hints at). However, for most of the game you don't actually play as Alex, but rather you cycle through a plethora of different characters from different time periods with unique abilities, stories, and puzzles.
Sanity
As I have mentioned in previous posts, the main thing that makes this game special is the Sanity Meter and consequently the Sanity Effects that go along with it if you loose too much. I'll admit that there were a few that took me off-guard and some that actually caused my character to die (dick move Silicon Knights), but it adds an element to the meter that made me want to keep it full instead of just thinking I could skate by and focus more on health.
Combat
One downfall of the game is the combat system, which obviously weren't a priority in perfecting. Combat quickly becomes repetitive and tedious, making it more enticing to simply run past enemies whenever possible. There is also a combat triangle in place (think rock-paper-scissors) making certain types of magic effective against enemies of the submissive color. This element didn't necessarily impede combat, but made enchanting weapons a priority whenever you actually decided to engage in combat.
Enemies
Although you travel through multitude of time periods, the enemies essentially stay the same. they don't evolve or change appearance to represent the period that they are in, and although they are not of this world, any creature on this planet for long enough would at least decompose a bit more after being in existence for a few thousand years. I won't hold this against the designers though because back when this was made, there were clearly more limitations on graphics and other mechanics.
In conclusion, I did enjoy this game and it made me scared to watch more than a few times. Although the enemies and combat get old pretty quick, the Sanity Effects and different plot line are enough to make me want to keep progressing to the end. I recommend this to anyone with a system able to play GameCube games who likes horror games that aren't just all blood and guts, and are more about the story than strict survival.
Have you ever played this game? What's your opinion on it?
Although there are many games that you can play to get into the spirit of Halloween, there are a few that have caught my eye, and some that I wish that I could try. So through some personal experience and a ton of research, I compiled a small list of games that I would recommend trying this season if you're looking for horror titles to play.
I attempted to find games across multiple platforms, meaning that I will admit to not have playing all of them. I wont get into specific story lines, just interesting tidbits about each title. (This list is also in no particular order) 1. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - GameCube (2002)
Eternal Darkness is one of the most notable games that came out for GameCube. Partially for the fact that Nintendo was able to support a good horror game, but also because of a certain mechanic that this game introduced: the Sanity Meter.
The Sanity Meter is used in tandem with a typical Health Meter to not only give players another way to loose health and potentially die, but add "Sanity Effects" to the experience. Seeing enemies lowers your sanity, while killing them brings it back slowly. If your Sanity is low enough, the effects will begin. They can be events anywhere from bloody walls, jump scares, or even events that seem to break the fourth wall.
Footage of all Sanity Effects possible throughout the game. (WARNING: This video does contain spoilers.)
2. Amnesia: The Dark Descent - MAC / PC / Linux (2010)
Chances are that even if you are not a horror game connoisseur, you have probably heard of this game. This first-person psychological horror has no combat system, you just have to rely on your wits to avoid enemies and gain items to help with various puzzles. Oh yeah, and we see a return of a very similar mechanic using the Sanity Meter.
In order both help in hiding from enemies and managing your sanity bar, you are fully reliant on lighting sources, including the lantern that you carry with you throughout the game. Unfortunately, aside from Let's Plays, it is challenging to find footage that shows the extent of how the lighting effects are used.
Teaser Trailer (2010)
3. Until Dawn - PlayStation 4 (2015)
Until Dawn is a very new title (just released in August this year) that not only scares you, but makes you think about each and every single decision you make in the game. Although this is a single-player game, there are eight main characters. So if you wanted to have some fun with your friends, it would be interesting to pass the controller from person to person whenever the character changes.
Given the mechanic of making every little decision you come across, from investigating something, to choosing to run or stay hidden, there are many different endings to the game, and many way that each character can end or survive. Some decisions can possibly mean the difference between life and death for the whole cast.
An example of how decisions effect your play through. (WARNING: Possible spoilers)
4. Outlast - PC / Xbox One / PlayStation 4 (2014)
Going along with the trend of games where there is no combat mechanic, is Outlast. Many horror games enjoy using this mechanic because it invokes a feeling of helplessness within players. Outlast adds another level with the use of the night-vision camera.
With much of the game being in the dark, and batteries few and far between, players are forced to take risks walking in the dark. Would you rather conserve battery life for a time when you know that you are going to need it? Or be able to know what is around the next corner?
Official Full Trailer.
5. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water - Wii U(2015)
Out of all the games on this list, this one was released most recently. The most recent in a franchise dating back to 2001, Fatal Frame is relatively unique in the mechanic of having a combat style that involves no actual combat. In these games, and especially this one, your only weapon is your camera, the Camera Obscura.
With this newest installment being a Wii U exclusive, players get to take full advantage of the Camera by using the GamePad to act as a more realistic substitute. With this new addition you are able to rotate the camera to get better shots, and even move it around you to look for ghosts that may be behind you at the time.
Announcement Trailer from E3 2015.
What games would you recommend to friends this Halloween?
Keeping with the horror theme, lets talk games that are already out that you might have an interest in playing on those dark and stormy night alone in the living room. No, I am not suggesting that you do not have any friends to be there with you, just that most horror games are single-player. Although watching someone play can be just as fear-inducing.
But before just giving you a list, I think that it is only fair you you to know my personal opinions on the subject. My personal opinion is that media under the 'horror' genre are really only scary if there is a good story and structure driving the experience. While some people might actually be terrified of watching some psycho chop up dozens of people just for sport, I find that the real terror comes from slowly uncovering the causes of the events you are currently going through.
The scariest games don't necessarily have to be remotely based on realism, such as psychological horror games. Titles such as Eternal Darkness and Alien Isolation can be just as frightening from the knowledge of the terrifying creature might be around the next corner, as games that manifest actual fears and then exaggerate them into horror elements.
Screenshots from Eternal Darkness (2002) and Alien Isolation (2014)
Although I am a graphic artist, I don't think that graphics are absolutely needed for a good horror experience. Although many games on newer platforms are able to provide a feeling of being in the game which certainly adds another layer of fear on top of all of the other classic elements, this doesn't make older titles any less frightening as they once were. The ability to achieve an effective jump scare or make people fear what might be around the next corner was developed long before we had these advancements in artistic technology.
If you want to do more investigating of your own into the different horror games across all platforms, and news on upcoming titles, I would highly recommend scaredtoplay.com, which is where I did the bulk of my research for my posts on horror games.
Do you have any older games that you like to bust out for some nostalgic frights?
